The Portland daily press., 1887-09-26
PANIC STRICKEN PASSENGERS.
Terrible Voyage Of the Cholera In
fected Steamer AiesIa.
Victims of the scourge Hastily Con-
signed to the Waves.
The Disease Spreading Among the
People at Quarantine.

New YORK, Sept. 2.-From what can be
CLEANED from those connected with the plague
stricken steamer Alesia, it is to be hoped the
scourge was nipped at the right time. There
were no new cases today.
During the Alesia's passage there was
much excitement on board. On the morning
of September II word was sent to the captain
from the steerage that one Of the passengers,
named Luigi Moria aged % years, had been
taken seriously i'll very suddenly. The doc
tor responded at once. and in half an hour
reported to the captain that Moria was dying
of cholera. He expired few hours later
and was buried at sea.
The outlook was horrible. Half way across
the Atlantic and the ship In which all must
be confined for ten days at least plague rid
den! The utmost secrecy was maintained as
to the cause of the first victims death. Mat
teo and Venne0, the men who had been sick
when they came on board, and who were sus-
pected of having brought the disease with
them, were isolated frem the rest OF the pas
sengers and every possible precaution was
Three DAYS passed and the officers began to
hope, but they found that their precautions
had been taken too late.
On the 10Th Ant0nia Baldyana, another
steerage passenger, aged 3S years, was taken
with an attack of nausea. All the medical
aid possible was given him, but he died in
few hours.
Before he could be buried Jean LIE Nivolin,
aged 40 years, one of the sailors, rushed up
to the chief officer on the bridge, and in agon-
iZing tones said he, too, was stricken. He
was carrid to the forecastle and died at mid
night Toward morning the burial service
war read over the two victims and they were
consigned together to the sea.
1t was no longer possible now to keep Sc
cret the dreadful news that the steamer had
cholera on board. Everybody knew 1t, and,
pen1lssd they on the vessel with no
terrible. The 10th passed slowly, the passen-
gers sitting about with anxious faces, none
knowing whose turn would be next
On the morning of the 18th Jean Somma,
another sailor, aged 80, was taken down and
died. A few hours later. Serafin De Lei,
aged 21 years, was also reported to have the
cholera. Medical attendance was given them
both, but 1t was of no avail. Somma died on
the 10Th and De Lei died on the morning of
the Goth.
just as the officers of the ship had finished
reading the burial service over De Lei, they
were told that Anna Vent-iogel, who had
been stricken 20 hours before, was dead.
| Matters had reached frightful stage. The
| passengers were panic stricken, and 1t re-
| Quired the utmost watchfulness on the part
| of the officers to take care of them.
No time was lost after passenger died.
| The body was wrapped hastily In canvas,
with weight at the feet. The burial services
were short but impressive, for all felt the
| presence of death in its most frightful shape,
and the body was consigned to the sea.
| On the evening of the 22d four more of the
| steerage passengers were reported as having
| been taken down, and at a45 the rattling of
| the anchor chains Informed the passengers
| that the steamer had reached land. 1t was
too late to cross the bar; to late to send word
| to the quarantine authorities, and it was not
until o'clock yesterday morning that the
| plague-ridden steamer ran up to quarantine
| with the yellow flag at the fore.
| The Latest Report.
| NEW YORK, Sept. 25.-The cholera-strick-
en- steamer Alesia still swings at anchor off
lower quarantine and the passengers are still
held on Hoffman Island Two patients died
at five o'clock last evening and one at a. m.
today. Twenty-three passengers are now